Avengers: Through Darcy's Eyes
by Renegadeangel1923
Summary: Most wonder what goes on in the mind of others. But for Darcy Lewis, this is her story through her eyes. Her trials and tribulations
1. Chapter 1

**(The following is the version of how I see the interaction with Darcy Lewis and the Avengers. There will be little flashbacks here and there of the true story of Darcy. Or at least my version of who she is beyond the sarcasm and smart remarks.)**

**I do not own the Avengers or Darcy Lewis.**

**Prologue**

_Every hour is a season_

_Every minute lasts a day_

_So I sit here picking stitches_

_I find comfort in decay_

_How I long to fill my lungs_

No one had told Darcy how Agent Coulson had died. There were many things that shouldn't be said. And she understood the silence behind the simple words. The man had been a nuisance to most. Well to Tony Stark. But to Darcy, he was a father to her. At least that was what she had thought when she had spent a few weeks with the man after the incident in New Mexico.

But when she had received the news, she had taken it harder than anyone else. Luckily it had been Nick Fury, or better yet Director Fury who had broken the news to her. It felt as if her half repaired heart had broken once again. She didn't cry, not in his presence. Not because she was afraid, but because she didn't know how the Director of SHIELD would take her reaction.

_So tell me how does it feel to,_

_Breathe air cold and clean_

_'Cause I've been living on my knees since I was seventeen_

_Thought I was safe beneath the smoke,_

_But even under cover I still choke_

The day of the funeral had been hard. It didn't rain, and it didn't seem like it would rain. The sun had shown through the clouds, giving the whole affair a somber and peaceful feel, the preacher had said a few words, but they were ignored by one person. To Darcy, it felt as if her life was being ripped apart piece by piece. Sure she had never told anyone beyond Jane what her life was like with her parents. But Agent Coulson seemed to understand. He didn't pry into her life like most would have done, he had given her time to tell him.

And that one bit of peace had been ripped away from her by Loki. She had heard how Agent Coulson had taken on Loki by himself. But still she couldn't understand why he would do it. Sure he was an Agent of SHIELD and had sworn and oath to help others. But he had broken a promise to her. And she felt betrayed by that fact. It hurt.

_My wings were clipped but even if they weren't_

_I've not the guts to fly and leave behind the earth_

_There's no poetry in my soul_

_Just a list of lies I've told_

_And I don't know how much longer I can hold..._


	2. Chapter 2

**(Well I forgot to put a proper disclaimer for the song lyrics in the prologue. Silly me. But the song lyrics belong to Young Guns. Check out the band, they're awesome.)**

**The following chapter will be rated T +.**

**I do not own Avengers or Darcy Lewis**

**Chapter One**

**Flashback**

_The smell of alcohol permeated the air of the apartment, signaling to Darcy that her father was yet again drunk. Her mother, she had figured was locked in the bathroom crying after another bout of arguing that turned to violence. Darcy always escaped the apartment when the arguing turned ugly. But this time the sixteen year old had come back a little earlier than normal. Her father was passed out in the chair, a bottle of tequila still in his hand._

_Sighing softly, she shook her head and disappeared into the kitchen to make dinner. At least have it ready when her father woke up. If she didn't, then she would be on the receiving end of his words and after that she would be trying to cover up the next bruise that she received. It was never like this, not until her mother miscarriage her unborn baby brother and the abuse started. Sure her father never hit her when she was younger, but once she hit her sixteenth birthday, he saw her as a new punching bag._

_She always went to school wearing long sleeved shirts or even hoodies to hide the bruises. She didn't make friends for the simple reason that they would discover what was going on at home. It seemed easier and safer that way, because her father was always the type to question her about her school day. And even inquire about boyfriends._

_Darcy knew that she was pretty and maybe even beautiful enough to attract guys, but she never let anyone get close to her. Always being the loner, the freak, and even the loser to keep guys away from her. And from her father knowing, because even when he wasn't drunk, he could still resort to violence whenever he found out that she was doing something behind his back. It was just a never ending stream of violence and tip toeing around him so he wouldn't become angry._

_Even as she worked to make dinner, she was quiet. Whether or not that she knew it, her father had woken up and stumbled into the kitchen to lean against the door way, with a bottle of Jack Daniel's Whiskey in hand. _

_Darcy turned around to head to the fridge and she stopped suddenly at the sight of her father. The sight of the bottle in his hands made her cringe on the inside as she lowered her gaze. She knew that her father was a time bomb that would explode at any moment. And she didn't want to say or do anything to make him angry, so she continued on with what she was doing, well aware that her father watched her like a wolf eyeing his prey._

Darcy woke with a start, as she took in her surroundings for a moment. The dream was always the same. And always ended too soon. But for once she was glad, because she always woke up in a cold sweat and crying. Those kinds of dreams were hard for her. Hard for her to really remember and to understand. Sure she never told anyone really what her home life was like, until meeting Jane. Still forgetting the past seemed harder than what she had first thought. And she didn't want to remember.

**Stark Tower**

**New York **

**2:07 PM**

"Do you think that she will accept the job? I mean I know that she knows Thor and everything. But you saw her at the funeral." Tony replied as he paced the length of his office. Even though he had allowed Director Fury to visit and to even propose his idea. He wasn't too sure about having the young woman working as a liaison for the Avengers. Sure she could help Thor with his Midgard understanding. And Steve to acclimate to the change. It just didn't seem fair to the young woman to push her into something after all that happened.

"Stark. Ms Lewis needs this. I need her to get away from her regular job as assistant."

Director Fury countered as he watched the other man pace. Even though he knew that Tony Stark wouldn't go along with the idea at first, he knew that having Ms. Lewis there would ease the tension that was mounting among the others. And he could see that Ms. Lewis needed a change of scenery from being cooped up. And there was also the issue of her withdrawn attitude that had him worried. Though most would never see that side of him.

"Look. I will send her over with a month trial period. If things don't work out, you can send her back."

Of course that compromise would not always work with Tony Stark, because he knew that the other man would never agree to something, unless there was a catch. "Just think of this as a chance to let Thor and Steve relax without trying to destroy things." Without another word, he settled the folder on Stark's desk and made his way out, without hearing his response. He just hoped that he was doing the right thing and letting Ms. Lewis stay there. But he knew that she needed the change and seeing Thor would raise her spirits, if only for a short time.

**Review Recognition:**

**[Chamberlain of Music: Thank you so much for the review. And I was thinking on bringing back Agent Coulson somewhere in the middle of the story. Might be hard on Darcy knowing that his death was faked, but it was needed to get Darcy to open up to others.**

**[Alexceasar: I also thank you for the review. Please stick around, because this story will get better as the time goes on. ]**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

**New York**

**Stark Tower**

**12.07 pm**

"Welcome to Stark Tower, Ms. Lewis." A somewhat warm English voice greeted her as she stepped off the elevator. Even if she did read the entire file on Tony Stark and the AI that helped him, she still jumped slightly. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly.

"Um…thank you. Is Mr. Stark available?"

She really doubted that he was, seeing as he was Iron man and part of the Avengers. But she had to ask to be sure. Because walking in announced wasn't her style and she figured that it would not sit well with him. But the AI J.A.R.V.I.S spoke.

"I am sorry. Mr Stark is currently on a mission with Captain America, Thor. Agents Romanoff and Barton are on a separate mission in South America. Dr. Banner is located below in one of the labs. Do you wish to know where they are?"

Darcy stood there for a moment, trying to figure out if she should go down to the lab and introduce herself. Instead she sighed softly and spoke.

"No thank you. I believe I will wait to meet him later."

Truthfully Darcy didn't feel like disturbing anyone. So instead she made her way further down the hall and towards the lounge area and the two connecting hallways that lead off to the quarters for the others.

"And Ms. Lewis your room is the third door on the right. And your things were brought from your apartment as per your request."

Darcy knew that it was best to settle in and wait. So she decided to head to her room and unpack. It would make things easier and she didn't have to deal with the mess later. Upon finding her room, she settled her suitcase on her bed, and looked around. Her dresser was pushed against a wall, while she took notice of the cat carrier that clearly held her cat Monty. He was meowing and scratching at the door of the carrier. She moved towards the carrier and unlocked it. Greeting her cat, she settled on the floor and sighed softly.

"So I guess this is our new life for the time being, Monty. Do you think that we'll like it?" A distinctive meow was her only answer as she scratched his ears. No matter how much she wanted to linger there, she knew that she couldn't. Setting Monty down, she stood and began to unpack, humming softly as she did. Monty though took that chance to settle onto her bed and curl up to take a cat nap.

Two hours later, she had unpacked both suitcases and the duffel bag, and had proceeded to make her room feel like home. Once she had set up the litter box and given Monty food, she decided to go find the kitchen and something to eat. It had been quite some time since she had eaten. And it was way past lunch time. Food was the only thing on her mind to the point that she didn't care about anything else. Once she was in the kitchen, she set about making herself a sandwich.

It wasn't until later in the afternoon that she first had her encounter with Dr. Banner. She had been sitting in the lounge reading when she took notice of him coming around the corner from the elevator. Normally she would have been scared to be in the same room with another man. But she had heard directly from Director Fury that Dr. Banner was harmless, except when he turned into the 'Other Guy'.

Either way, she was still nervous and unsure. Maybe it was the fact that her fear was coming back. Or it had been the dream that she had a few nights ago that set her on edge. Instead of staying quiet, she smiled and waved.

"Hello."

She closed the book that she was reading and stood up and made her way towards him. Holding out her hand, she smiled and spoke again. "I'm Darcy Lewis." She didn't expect him to shake her hand, and she didn't mind that if he didn't. But she figured it was the only polite thing to do.

Bruce on the other hand hadn't expected to see another person in the quarters of the Avengers. He had heard about someone coming in to live with them, but he didn't expect that person to be another woman.

"_It's nice to meet you too. Tony told me that we would have a guest for some time. I apologize for not being here to greet you."_

Bruce replied with a small smile as he shook her hand. Truthfully, Bruce had been busy in the lab to the point that he didn't even know what time Ms. Lewis had arrived. Even J.A.R.V.I.S hadn't informed them that their guest had arrived. Then again, he was never comfortable around others, especially when the 'Other Guy' could make an unexpected appearance, even though he did have a tight rein on him. Still it was better to be safe than sorry. He was sure though that Director Fury would have briefed on everything that was needed to be known.

"_Tony will be returning soon, I can give you a tour of the entire tower. So you don't get lost."_

It was half past eight when Darcy found herself back in the living room with Dr. Banner. Both settled into a comfortable silence reading while they waited for the others to return. Tony had called sometime during the tour and said that they had stopped off for food and would be heading back around eight or nine with something to eat for her and Dr. Banner.

The sound of thunder made Darcy jump as she looked up from her book. Bruce had already stood up from his chair and was walking out to the observation deck to greet Thor and Tony. Darcy decided to follow, clearly curious and also because she wanted to greet Thor and meet Tony.

"Daughter of Lewis." Darcy wasn't given any time to protest as she was swept off her feet and into a tight hug. She gasped softly and tried to slow her fast beating heart. Thor didn't know that his hug had taken her off guard and simply sent her towards the bad memories that she had tried to forget. But she pushed aside the thought, because she knew that Thor would never harm her. But still that didn't make her any less at ease.

"Okay, it's good to see you too, big guy. But you squeeze any harder, my head will pop off."

She teased gently with a soft laugh as she patted his shoulder. Thor hastily lowered her to the ground after an apology. She smiled and looked up at him, seeing as she was considerably shorter. There was so much about him that hadn't changed. But he seemed to not have that burden on his shoulders that she had seen in New Mexico.

"Ah, Ms. Lewis. I see you found your way inside."

Darcy turned her attention from Thor to Tony Stark who had shed his armor. She nodded and shrugged. "I had a little help from Dr. Banner. He gave me a tour of the entire place and I settled into my room. Thank you for letting me keep Monty here too." All three men exchanged looks, and she laughed softly. "My cat. He's my pet."

But before Tony could protest, there was a commotion from inside. All four ventured inside to find that the only missing member of the team had encountered Monty and was trying to move the cat from his shoulder. It was oddly funny to Darcy as she giggled. All four men stared at her in surprise. But Tony was the one who smiled a little. Director Fury had said that Darcy hadn't laughed genuinely in a long time. So this was a gift. He watched as Darcy stepped forward and moved the cat from Steve's shoulder and smiled.

"Sorry about him. He tends to latch onto the first person he sees. He's really harmless, and lovable."

She held out her hand and spoke. "I'm Darcy Lewis. And please no Ma'am, just Darcy." She insisted with another smile. Steve nodded and shook her hand. Clearly things were beginning to turn out better then Tony had first thought. This was where Darcy needed to be to heal, and it was already beginning.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

It had been two weeks since Darcy had moved in and in that short amount of time she had memorized the habits, dislikes, and the schedule of each member of the Avengers. There were times where Tony Stark stayed up all night in his private lab tinkering away at a new invention. And then there was the fact that Steve liked to spend most of night in the gym beating the punching bags to a pulp to get past the dreams that he usually had. Bruce retired to his room early in the night, so he didn't wake up looking like a zombie in the morning.

Thor on the other hand would eat his fill in food and pass out in his room, snoring. It could be heard through his door in the hallway when Darcy passed to go to her room for the night. But there was always a good thing that each room was soundproof, or she wouldn't be getting any sleep. At some point she hadn't even bothered to wonder where Agent Barton slept, because he was always seen waltzing out of Natasha's room in an overly good mood. (Tony had questioned if the relationship between him and Natasha was a violent kind, but he always ended up either being threatened, or worse.) Pepper was always brought in to keep Tony from misbehaving.

At one point, Darcy had changed her normal routine around to accommodate with the change. She didn't wake up at her usual time for coffee, instead she found herself busy. She had settled into her own job with many reservations as to whether that she could acclimate both Thor and Steve into a normal, or rather a somewhat normal lifestyle. It wasn't exactly easy dealing with the God of Thunder who tended to not understand what she was explaining to him. (At one point in her teachings, he had destroyed six flat screen tv's and even made Tony mad enough that he locked himself in his lab.) J.A.R.V.I.S had to coax Tony out of his lab and Darcy had Thor apologize.

Steve though was a different problem all together. Trying to get a former frozen soldier from the 1940's to understand technology was like talking to a three year old. He learned fairly well, but there was times where he just wanted to give up. (At one point he had learned to use the computer and accidentally discovered porn. Explaining that away was an awkward thing for Darcy, so she had Agent Barton explain it to him.) The consequences were that Steve walked around with what seemed a permanent blush on his cheeks, and he always averted his attention to other things when either Darcy walked in the room, or even Natasha.

**OoO**

2:07 am

Stark Tower

All seemed quiet, except for the occasional snore that drifted under the crack of Thor's room, signaling that the Demi God was out for the night. And giving Darcy a chance to sneak by his room without being found out. Sleeping was never easy for her, especially since she had started having nightmares again. Phil was always the one who told her to never be afraid, and that he would always be there for her. Still it hurt to know that with his death, she had felt as if the nightmares had come back, just because she was afraid of being alone. It didn't seem fair at the time, but such was life and she had to move on.

She made her way into the kitchen, intent on having tea before she tried to sleep again. Dressed in oversized sweats and a long sleeved shirt, she set about heating water and finding the tea bags. Humming softly, she waited for the water to heat in the tea kettle, not even worried about the fact that she could very well not be the only one up.

"Ms Lewis? I didn't even know anyone else was up."

The familiar voice of Bruce brought her out of her thoughts and made her jump. Settling a hand on her chest, she tried to calm her fast beating heart as she turned to the doctor with a smile. "I couldn't sleep. I figured tea would help. I apologize if I woke you." Truthfully, she didn't know that he had been up reading in his room and had decided to come into the kitchen for something to drink.

"No need to apologize. I was already awake and reading."

He didn't elaborate on the reason why he couldn't sleep as he moved around the island and towards the cabinet. Darcy on the other hand quickly moved out of the way out of only a reaction. But truthfully it was fear that kept her on her toes. "Oh, well I made tea if you like some. Chamomile tea and ginger. It eases stomach aches and soothes a worried mind." Or at least that's what she thought, since it was something she had found out eased the fears and the dreams to a point that she didn't have to take the sleeping pills. But there were times where she had to take anxiety pills to just function in an environment with all men. Though she didn't have anything to worry about here. It was just a precaution in case she reacted badly to touch or a simple hug.

Darcy simply smiled and poured the hot water into a cup after the tea kettle made the familiar whistling noise that signified that the water was reading. "I better get some sleep. It was nice talking to you Bruce. And I do hope the tea helps." And without even hearing what he would say, she quickly exited the kitchen the same way she came and locked herself in her room for the rest of the night. Curling up in bed after drinking her tea, she tried to sleep, only to fall into a fitful slumber. While Bruce was left to wonder what was going on with the young woman. Turning off the stove and the lights, he ventured to his room to sleep.

**OoO**

The next morning began the same way. Breakfast was made by Thor who had learned to cook in his time in New Mexico. Darcy woke up weary and demanding coffee and silence. It never happened when Tony came waltzing in, chipper as usual, even though he had spent the better part of the night in his lab. Darcy glared at him over the rip of her coffee cup, while Steve and Bruce debated on who to restrain first. Tony or Darcy? Either way, they knew that they would be on the receiving end of someone's wrath of they interfered in any way.

Instead they sat in silence watching Darcy closely, while praying that Tony took the silent hint to stop talking. At one point, Natasha and Clint came in at that moment and broke up the one sided staring contest to announce that they were going on another special mission, and wouldn't be back until two weeks from that day.

Darcy didn't say much, other than to be careful, while the other bid them good luck. And so the tower was down to a few members, who would be trying to find something to do for the day. Darcy ventured back to her room after breakfast and decided to e-mail Jane and see if she wanted to hang out for the day. It was better than being stuck in the tower with the others. She loved the company, but she needed her space and time to take a breather. She settled onto her bed after sending the e-mail to wait for a response. Seeing Jane would give her the confidence to see all this through. And it would give her a chance also to get away for the day.


	5. Chapter 5

**(Disclaimer: I do not own anything that belongs to Marvel. Nor do I own the characters. I do claim ownership to Monty and to any other Original Characters that will pop up in later chapters.)**

**(Woo! 1900 words. Go me! –does a mini dance- Anyway, I would like to say thanks for the reviews and such. This is one story that I like updating. Don't worry, a chapter is in the works for my other story. Stay tuned. Also if you have any suggestions about the next chapter or want to submit something for me to add to a chapter, PM it to me and I will give you full credit. :D)**

**(Bruce is beginning to get suspicious of Darcy and the way she acts. I wonder what will be said or done in the next chapter. But anyway, read on and leave me reviews. And I will recognize them in the next chapter. :D I am greatly enjoying writing this version of the Avengers.)**

**Chapter 4**

Flashback:

_Darcy had originally left a note on the counter that she would be staying late for a class project and that she would call and make sure that her father and mother knew that she would be home at nine. Even as she unlocked the door and stepped into the quiet and dimly lit apartment, she knew that something was wrong. Closing the door, she set her bag next to the couch and ventured further into the apartment._

"_Mom?"_

"_Dad?"_

_She called out as she moved down the hallway. The door to her parents room was open, the bed made. Oddly enough it was a surprising sight, even as she moved towards her room. Sleeping off her coat, she settled onto her bed with a sigh. She figured that her parents had gone out for the night, instead of staying home and making dinner._

_The slamming of the front door caught her attention. She stood up from her bed and exited her room. She barely moved a few feet down the hall, before her back made contact with the wall. She stared up into her father's eyes, which were filled with unspoken fury. She knew something was up, and didn't dare say anything until she was asked to._

"_Where were you?"_

_His voice was deadly calm as his hands dug into the flesh of her arms, leaving behind half-moon marks, and eventually bruises that would show later. And that she would cover up once again with a long sleeved shirt._

"_I was at school, finishing my school project. I called the house phone a half hour before I headed home. Sir."_

_Clearly her answer wasn't up to par, because he yanked her away from the wall and dragged her down the hall to her bedroom. What came next would have made the strong minded person cringe. And hour later, she lay on her bed, curled up in a ball, dried tears on her cheeks as she wrapped her arms tightly around her body. Her clothes were left slightly unscathed, except for her shirt, which had been ripped. She didn't even look up when her bedroom door opened and her mother stepped in with the bandages._

_Silence hung between the two, and for a moment she understood what her mother went through every day. Darcy didn't cry while her mother applied disinfectant on her back from where her father had taken his belt to her back. But she cursed her father silently, and dealt with her mother applying the bandages. Neither spoke a word for the duration of the time, but her mother left her daughter with a gentle kiss on her forehead and some pain pills to dull the pain for the time being. Darcy took both, and fell into a fitful sleep._

-OoO-

"Darcy!"

She was brought forth from the memory to see Jane rushing towards her, with a wide smile. Darcy pushed the memory into the back of her mind and moved forward to embrace her friend and long time boss. If only for a short time. And in that time she had gained a trusted friend in the other woman.

"Jane. It's so good to see you."

Both girls lapsed into a comfortable silence as they walked down the sidewalk side by side. Most of the time, Darcy would have said more, but this time it was different. The silence was a needed reprieve from both of their work spaces. More so for Darcy, since she lived in a living situation with a few people who could be loud if they wanted to.

-OoO-

Darcy didn't return back to the tower until around nine that evening. Even as she stepped off the elevator, she had a sense of De Ja Vu. It was exactly like that night that she had returned home, only to find herself in deep trouble. And carrying the same faint scars from the encounter with her father. She half expected it to happen again. But no one was at the elevator to greet her. No one questioning her where she had gone. It was almost a relief since she expected the lecture.

Even as she stepped into the lounge area, her presence went unnoticed by the two occupants, but Monty her cat. He meowed in greeting and she rubbed his head, listening to his content purring. She didn't exactly know why she was nervous, but she didn't have a reason to be. No one was going to get mad at her for staying out till nine.

Sighing softly, she exited the lounge and made her way to her room. Once inside, she slipped off her jacket and the long sleeved checkered shirt that she wore over her tank top. Normally she would have closed the door, but she didn't care.

Settling onto the edge of the bed, she opened the bag from earlier that day. It was a few trinkets that she had bought with Jane. Simple enough mementos, but to her they were priceless. Arranging them on her dresser, she settled back onto her bed and against the pillows with a sigh. Closing her eyes, she let herself relax.

2:07 am.

Darcy woke with a start and took in her surroundings for a moment. Taking a deep breath after a moment, she let it out slowly and sat up. A blanket had been placed over her that she didn't remember grabbing or even using. Sighing softly, she stood up and slipped off her shoes and changed into her pajamas. Leaving the tank top on in place of a long sleeved shirt, she ventured out and into the kitchen to find something to snack on, before heading back to bed.

Upon entering the kitchen, she stopped in the door way to find Bruce and Tony talking over drinks. Well Tony was the one with the drink and Bruce had a cup of tea. Darcy eased her way inside, and proceeded to raid the fridge. Both men watched her as she grabbed an orange and a few grapes, also a bottle of water. She smiled and waved goodnight, before disappearing back to her room.

But Bruce had taken notice of a scar on her shoulder peeking out from underneath the fabric of her shirt. He figured it was a child hood injury, so didn't think anything of it. Truthfully if he had known, he would be astonished that her home life was so bad. And even wondered why no one had really taken notice of what had been going on.

-OoO-

Darcy woke with a start to a commotion right outside her door. Groaning softly in protest, she turned over and buried her head under her pillow and tried to back to bed after she glanced at the clock. It was barely five in the morning and she didn't have to be up until eight. Ignoring the noise, she drifted back to sleep. At one point in the morning, she had hit the snooze button to turn off her clock and fell back to sleep for the five minutes that she had.

Finally she dragged herself out of bed twenty minutes later, and showered in her own bathroom and dressed in a simple t-shirt and a pair of black leggings and her slip on shoes. Today she was going to get some work down and not dwell on what she really had to do. Her first day of official paper work duty began and she had ventured down to her own office on the floor below.

At one point, she found herself having a conversation with Steve after he had ventured down to ask her a question. Her paper work had been completed and filed. The other half had been sent straight to Director Fury, so she had time to take a break and have lunch. Steve on the other hand offered to take her to lunch. She accepted and they headed downstairs. Arriving in the lobby, she began to wonder what vehicle they would take and she soon found herself staring at Steve's motorcycle. Half in fascination and the other half in apparent discomfort. Sure she could hug a guy without freaking out, which was apparent with Thor. But being in close proximity with a guy was another matter.

This was certainly going to be an interesting lunch, she knew that much. But she had to learn to trust Steve and know that he wouldn't hurt her. So even after she got on the bike behind him, she was hesitating in wrapping her arms around his waist. Once she did, she held on and enjoyed the ride. It seemed easy for her to relax, now that she was letting go of her fear. Though she knew that the fear could disappear, it was the memories that were going to be another matter.

-OoO-

Arriving back at the tower after lunch found Darcy lingering in Steve's presence a little longer. They sat in her office talking aimlessly about things. It seemed easy to talk to him, because he listened. And even when he spoke, she listened without interrupting. And even there was times where she asked questions. At one point their conversation had to be cut short, when Steve received a call about a mission. He said goodbye and left her to her own thoughts. When she ventured upstairs, she found the entire place too quiet.

Still it she felt at ease knowing that her time there was going good. And her own opinion on whether she would be staying would be given to Director Fury soon. But she needed more time to decide. It was hard letting herself drop her guard around the others, since she didn't know what they would do when they found out what happened between her father, when she was younger. She didn't want to hear what would be said, and what would be done. She figured the reactions would be between shocked and anger. The anger would be more apparent with Bruce.

Still she decided it was best to wait. So even as she settled into the living room and turned on the tv, her thoughts turned to Steve, who seemed to bring her further out of her shell and easily made her smile and laugh. It had been sometime since that happened and she was grateful for that. Even as she watched the news, she couldn't help but smile.


End file.
